Fruit-drier.



P. L. WHITESTINE. FRUIT DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED DF'L17, 1910.

993,932,, Patented May 30,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

a n umwoz P. L. WHITESTINE.

FRUIT DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.17, 1910.

Patented May 30, 1911.

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tiara-ran sraras rarer rr 1 PARIS LEROY WHITESTINES 0F SPIGKARD, MISSOURI.

Fania-hernia.

Specificatiohioi Letters ratent. Patented Mayfti), 12311.

Application filed December 17', 1.910. Serial 310. 597,904.

This nvention relates to fruit driers, and

it has for its object to provide a fruit drier of simple and improved construction pomprising a casing, a plurality of trays upiported therein and heating means whereby 7 the contents of the trays will be sub'ected to adegree of heat which will be su cient to evaporate the moisture contained therein.

A further object of the invention is to provideja fruit drier of the character described with thermostatic means for regulatmg the'heat so that the device when in operation will require little watching and care.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which shall be simple in construction and suitable for family use.- 'Yv'ith these'and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particu'l'ttrly pointed out in the claims.

Iif'the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it beingt however, understood thatno limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein ,enhibited,

' but that changes alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

in the drawings,-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fruit drier constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. '2 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view. Fig. t isa horizontalscctional View.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

A rectangular casing A, which may be constructed mainly of wood and which may .be of any suitable dimensions, is supported .llPOll legs 1, l at the four corners thereof.

The front wall 2 of the casing has a plurality of openings for the admission of the' drying trays 4 which slide like drawers upon the supporting cleats 5 which are secured upon the inner faces of the side walls of the casing. The trays consist of rectangular wooden frames, the front members of which 6, are extended laterally to formlugs 7 which are adapted to abut upon the side walls of the casing,'there'b limiting the inward sliding movement o the trays. Said trays are provided with bottoms 8 which may be constructedtof foraminous material, such as woven wire screen, or they maybe constructed of textile or other suitable ma.- terial inthe discretion of the manufacturer.

The, side Walls ofthe casing are provided upon their inner faces, in rear of the tray supporting cleats 5, with vertical cleats 9 upon which a partition 10 of Wire screening is secured, dividing the interior of the casing into two I compartments, namely, the tray compartment B and the heating compartment C. The latter compartment contains a radiator or heating coil 11 which is suitablyconnected with an annular heating drum 12-:

which is secured exteriorly upon the casing by means of the pipes or-ducts 13 whereby it is connected with the radiator or-heating coil. A bracket 14. depending froin the bot toin of the casing supports a swinging shelf 15 upon which a heater, suchas a lain '16, may be supported, the upper end of the lamp chimney terminatingwithin the lower end of the annular heating drum. The-latter is provided with a filling aperture 18 and with aflvalved pipe 19 through which the contents may be drawn off when desired.

The foraminous partition '10 which divides the casing transversely, while in no wise interfering with the circulation of air and from one o mpart-ment to the other,

will prevent the fruit supporting trays from being accidenta 1y pushed too far within the heating compar ment where the ,fruit might be sub ected to an excess of heat from the heating coils 'and thereby iniuriously affected.

The bottom of the casing A is. rovided' with an air inlet 20, and the top Q the casing has an outlet 21. with which a ventilating pipe 22 having a cap 23 is associated.

A bracket 24, which is secured 'interiorly upon one of the side walls of thecasing, supports a thermostatic disk 25 which is located directly beneath the air outlet 21, said disk being provided with aboss 26 which, when the disk is expanded under the influence of an increasing degree of heat,

moves upwardly. Pivotally supported in a slot 27 in the side Wall of the casing is a bell crank D having an inwardly extending arm 28 which lies in the path of the boss 26 of the thermostatic disk. The vertical arm 29 of the bell crank extends down- War'olly exteriorly of the casing and has a terminal bracket 30 provided with. an aperture 31. An arm or bracket 32 which projeets from the side Wall of the casing sup ports a lever E which may be suitably bent as shown, and one arm of which, 33, extends above the annular heating drum l2 and carries a damper 3& which is adapted to partly obstruct the upper end of the vertical channel or passage 35 of said heating drum. The arm 36 of the lever E may be provided with acounterweight 37 adapted to balance the I damper carrying arm. A link 38 is pro vided, one end of which is connected With a lug or bracket 39 upon the lever arm 36. The lower end-of the link 88 extends through the aperture 31 in the terminal bracket upon the arm 29 of the bell crank D, said lower end being screwthreaded and provided with a nut 40 bearing against the underside of the bracket 30, thus enabling the damper-carrying lever E to be prhperly ad- ;i-O justed with reference to the bell crank D, which latter is actuated by the thermostat,

as previously described, and thus permitting the damper 34 to be adjusted'to any desired position with reference to the annular heat- 35 ing drum at'a predetermined degree of temperature. It is obvious that when the temperature within the drier casing increases and the thermostatic waiter expands, the bell crank will be actuated to tilt the damper 40 carrying lever in such wise to lift the daniper from the annular heating drum, thus permitting a portion of the heat derived from the lamp or heater to become difiused n the atmosphere. .Vhen, on the other hand, the temperature within the drier casing is decreased, the action is reversed, and he temperature will be lowered, thus causing a larger percentage ot the heat to be futilized in 'heating-tl'ie water contained in eo'ithe' drum 12, whence it circulates through the radiator 11.

' By this simple construction and arrangei 'ncnt ofparts it Wlll'be seen that aneven 'npe'rature may be maintained within the ter casing, thereby causing fruits which have been previously prepared by drying and deposited upon the trays or shelves to become thoroughly dried at the proper degree of temperature. Fruits dried in this device will be absolutely protected from dirt and insects.

The device 15 simple in eonstructlon and may be manufactured at a small expense which renders it valuable for family use.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new, is

1. In a fruit drier, a casing supported upon upri hts, a toraminous transverse partition in said casing, a plurality of trays.

the compartment at the other side of the partition, an air inlet in the bottom of the casing, an air outlet in the top of the casing having a ventilator connected therewith, a thermostatic disk supported above the stack of trays beneath the air outlet, said disk havunga boss, a bell crank lever tulcrumed in a slotiin one side of the casing and having a horizontal arm extended in the path of the boss of the thermostat and a vertical. arm lying outside of the casing and provided with anterininal apertured bracket, an annular heating drum supported outside the casing and connected with the radiator, burner supported below the annular heating drum, an arm extending from the side of the casing, a lever fulcrumed upon said arm and having oppositely extending arms, a damper connected with one of said arms and adapted to obstruct the passage through an annular heating drum, and a link connecting the other arm of the lever with the apertnred terminal bracket of the downwardly extending arm of the bell crank.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence oi two witnesses.

PARTS LER Y lVllllESlllNE.

lVitncssr-s E. C. INMAN, GLENN TRAINER, 

